origins of this special issue of Youth Justice: An International Journal lie in recognition of th... more origins of this special issue of Youth Justice: An International Journal lie in recognition of the fact that, thus far, contributors to the journal have paid very limited attention to offending by girls and young women and responses to them from the youth justice system and allied agencies. This neglect contrasts sharply with the intensity of the popular spotlight on girls ’ lawbreaking and their behaviour in public space, and with the increasing presence of girls and young women within the youth justice system. Indeed, they constitute the fastest growing population within youth justice systems internationally (Carrington, 2006). What we offer in this Introduction is an overview of contemporary themes and concerns about girls ’ lawbreaking and their criminal-ization, as well as a guide to what follows in subsequent articles. Throughout most, if not all, of the 20th century defi nitions of, and responses to, girls ’ delin-quent and troublesome behaviour were closely tied to ideas abo...
Drawing on recent empirical research, this article discusses youth justice professionals’ beliefs... more Drawing on recent empirical research, this article discusses youth justice professionals’ beliefs about the causes of young women’s offending, and examines whether ‘moral panics’ proclaiming that we are witnessing an explosion in female youth crime and disorder are refl ected in contemporary youth justice discourse. I found disturbing evidence that girls continue to be drawn into the youth justice system for welfare reasons – as a result of the criminalization of domestic disputes or because of concerns about their sexual vulnerability. The widespread cultural belief that girls are getting worse received some support amongst youth justice prac-titioners and managers, although many professionals expressed confusion as to whether female youthful behaviour has deteriorated or whether girls are subject to more intensive and formalized methods of governance than hitherto. The implications of these fi ndings for the criminalization of girls are discussed.
Attrition represents a significant obstacle to overcome in any longitudinal research project. It ... more Attrition represents a significant obstacle to overcome in any longitudinal research project. It is, perhaps, most keenly felt when the data collected are from a qualitative study, since, unlike quantitative longitudinal research, weighting factors cannot be applied to ‘correct’ for any biases in the achieved sample and even a small number of ‘lost’ respondents can equate to a large percentage of the original sample. It is perhaps because of qualitative longitudinal research’s (QLR) reliance on, generally speaking, smaller samples that few have been able to shed much light on which re-contacting procedures are associated with achieving higher rates of retention. In this article, using data from a fifth sweep of a larger but particularly challenging cohort of 199 former probationers, we explore the strategies which helped us maintain high levels of retention in a QLR study. The article contains many practical suggestions which others planning or undertaking similar studies may find u...
Working with Women Offenders in the Community. …, 2011
Chapter 8 Beyond youth justice: Working with girls and young women who offend Gilly Sharpe Introd... more Chapter 8 Beyond youth justice: Working with girls and young women who offend Gilly Sharpe Introduction In recent years frequent reports that ... in the criminalisation and punishment of young women and argues that it is principally changes in police and court processing that ...
Drawing on recent empirical research, this article discusses youth justice professionals’ beliefs... more Drawing on recent empirical research, this article discusses youth justice professionals’ beliefs about the causes of young women’s offending, and examines whether ‘moral panics’ proclaiming that we are witnessing an explosion in female youth crime and disorder are reflected in contemporary youth justice discourse. I found disturbing evidence that girls continue to be drawn into the youth justice system for welfare reasons — as a result of the criminalization of domestic disputes or because of concerns about their sexual vulnerability. The widespread cultural belief that girls are getting worse received some support amongst youth justice practitioners and managers, although many professionals expressed confusion as to whether female youthful behaviour has deteriorated or whether girls are subject to more intensive and formalized methods of governance than hitherto. The implications of these findings for the criminalization of girls are discussed.
In this chapter we focus on patterns of girls’ offending and responses to it, as well as historic... more In this chapter we focus on patterns of girls’ offending and responses to it, as well as historical and contemporary explanations for female juvenile delinquency. We argue that the regulation of acceptable gender-role behaviour has long been a key feature of the criminal justice system’s response to offending by girls, and that such regulation is still in evidence in the rhetoric and practice of youth justice in the twenty-first century. We also examine changing perceptions of girls’ behaviour and concomitant shifts in their social regulation. In particular, we analyse recurring moral panics regarding girls’ behaviour, which seem to have shifted their focus in recent years – from girls’ sexuality and ‘status’ offending, to their apparently increasing violence and alcohol use – and dwell on the resultant punitive turn towards girls and young women. Whilst we should avoid taking the youth justice system’s treatment of boys to be either the norm or acceptable, our chief concern in this...
origins of this special issue of Youth Justice: An International Journal lie in recognition of th... more origins of this special issue of Youth Justice: An International Journal lie in recognition of the fact that, thus far, contributors to the journal have paid very limited attention to offending by girls and young women and responses to them from the youth justice system and allied agencies. This neglect contrasts sharply with the intensity of the popular spotlight on girls ’ lawbreaking and their behaviour in public space, and with the increasing presence of girls and young women within the youth justice system. Indeed, they constitute the fastest growing population within youth justice systems internationally (Carrington, 2006). What we offer in this Introduction is an overview of contemporary themes and concerns about girls ’ lawbreaking and their criminal-ization, as well as a guide to what follows in subsequent articles. Throughout most, if not all, of the 20th century defi nitions of, and responses to, girls ’ delin-quent and troublesome behaviour were closely tied to ideas abo...
Drawing on recent empirical research, this article discusses youth justice professionals’ beliefs... more Drawing on recent empirical research, this article discusses youth justice professionals’ beliefs about the causes of young women’s offending, and examines whether ‘moral panics’ proclaiming that we are witnessing an explosion in female youth crime and disorder are refl ected in contemporary youth justice discourse. I found disturbing evidence that girls continue to be drawn into the youth justice system for welfare reasons – as a result of the criminalization of domestic disputes or because of concerns about their sexual vulnerability. The widespread cultural belief that girls are getting worse received some support amongst youth justice prac-titioners and managers, although many professionals expressed confusion as to whether female youthful behaviour has deteriorated or whether girls are subject to more intensive and formalized methods of governance than hitherto. The implications of these fi ndings for the criminalization of girls are discussed.
Attrition represents a significant obstacle to overcome in any longitudinal research project. It ... more Attrition represents a significant obstacle to overcome in any longitudinal research project. It is, perhaps, most keenly felt when the data collected are from a qualitative study, since, unlike quantitative longitudinal research, weighting factors cannot be applied to ‘correct’ for any biases in the achieved sample and even a small number of ‘lost’ respondents can equate to a large percentage of the original sample. It is perhaps because of qualitative longitudinal research’s (QLR) reliance on, generally speaking, smaller samples that few have been able to shed much light on which re-contacting procedures are associated with achieving higher rates of retention. In this article, using data from a fifth sweep of a larger but particularly challenging cohort of 199 former probationers, we explore the strategies which helped us maintain high levels of retention in a QLR study. The article contains many practical suggestions which others planning or undertaking similar studies may find u...
Working with Women Offenders in the Community. …, 2011
Chapter 8 Beyond youth justice: Working with girls and young women who offend Gilly Sharpe Introd... more Chapter 8 Beyond youth justice: Working with girls and young women who offend Gilly Sharpe Introduction In recent years frequent reports that ... in the criminalisation and punishment of young women and argues that it is principally changes in police and court processing that ...
Drawing on recent empirical research, this article discusses youth justice professionals’ beliefs... more Drawing on recent empirical research, this article discusses youth justice professionals’ beliefs about the causes of young women’s offending, and examines whether ‘moral panics’ proclaiming that we are witnessing an explosion in female youth crime and disorder are reflected in contemporary youth justice discourse. I found disturbing evidence that girls continue to be drawn into the youth justice system for welfare reasons — as a result of the criminalization of domestic disputes or because of concerns about their sexual vulnerability. The widespread cultural belief that girls are getting worse received some support amongst youth justice practitioners and managers, although many professionals expressed confusion as to whether female youthful behaviour has deteriorated or whether girls are subject to more intensive and formalized methods of governance than hitherto. The implications of these findings for the criminalization of girls are discussed.
In this chapter we focus on patterns of girls’ offending and responses to it, as well as historic... more In this chapter we focus on patterns of girls’ offending and responses to it, as well as historical and contemporary explanations for female juvenile delinquency. We argue that the regulation of acceptable gender-role behaviour has long been a key feature of the criminal justice system’s response to offending by girls, and that such regulation is still in evidence in the rhetoric and practice of youth justice in the twenty-first century. We also examine changing perceptions of girls’ behaviour and concomitant shifts in their social regulation. In particular, we analyse recurring moral panics regarding girls’ behaviour, which seem to have shifted their focus in recent years – from girls’ sexuality and ‘status’ offending, to their apparently increasing violence and alcohol use – and dwell on the resultant punitive turn towards girls and young women. Whilst we should avoid taking the youth justice system’s treatment of boys to be either the norm or acceptable, our chief concern in this...
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